Last week we came across Insight, the lush new EP from Byron Bay songwriter Karuah. Heavily steeped in love and the natural world, it’s characteristic of the cinematic, entrancing music which so often seems to come from the area.
It’s an EP we had to learn more about, so we reached out to Karuah for some insider knowledge. He was kind enough to run us through Insight, one track at a time.
Love and fate, colour and silence. Karuah’s debut EP covers a huge amount of ground in five tracks, so we asked the artist for his take.
See It
See It begins as a sunrise. Sitting on the shoreline, looking out to the horizon as the pastel colours grow eagerly sharper and more textured. This is where I want the listener to be when first hitting play on Insight. It is the track of slow awakening, a gentle start to the project in its entirety.
See It is about the development of my relationship with my wife and the fate that entangled our lives together. The heaviness of our past being overcome by joyous years of travel. Being constantly in awe of destiny and our delicate dance on a tightrope, knowing that each step taken may plunge us into the depths of a world unknown.
Colour Me
Filled with different rhythms, melodies and licks, this track is predominately vocal based. Its booming, bass-driven beats were a chance to emphasise the seductive intensity of the lyrics.
This track is about the deep, intimate experiences you only share with a partner you’ve been with for a long period of time. Moments of exploration that feed both the curiosity and the sensuality between two individuals that are profoundly connected. It is fun, playful, groovy and has a very different energy to the other songs on this record.
Foliage
A walk through a forest, a nightmare, a metaphor for life. Foliage is a reminder not only to myself but to others to stay true to their path, to not let outside influences misguide your intuition. I have experienced how dramatically life can flow and unfold when you give your heart full attention.
So really, this is an encouragement to the inner voice to be heard above all the clouded mess of society that surrounds us. The build-up of the bridge helps to convey the urgency that arises when you know that time is wasted by consciously running away from what truly feels right.
Iron Rose
Have you ever fallen for someone who didn’t necessarily feel the same towards you? Or had compassion for them even though they treat you like shit because of their current situation? Well, this is Iron Rose.
The night prowler that comes to you when nothing else is found. Someone feasting on your warmth and company leaving you behind when satisfaction is reached. The dark guitar riffs with overdosed delay unfold to hard-hitting harmonies that bleed solidarity in hardship.
Then Silence
Silence… for me, silence is a chance to reconnect within. It is the empty space between the inhale and exhale. The spirit of this track pushed me to follow the twisted veins back to my heart and check if it is filled with happiness, and if not, then what?
A swirling chasm of thought that Bon Iver could always create for me personally, and something I’m always striving to achieve. This is what I wanted others to fill their mind with when they listen to this track.
Insight is out now.
